Exile
by steelcrash
Summary: The Autobots on Earth receive reinforcements, and chaos ensues. Part 7-Ratchet places his unearned trust in another.
1. Chapter 1

Exile

Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Ignoring his internal com wouldn't work. Bumblebee was being rather insistent, and if he wasn't so tired, he would have gone down to ops and done something about it. As it stood, Optimus Prime was going to get his chance to go to ops, but not for the reason he desired.

"Yes?" he finally asked.

"Sorry to wake you Boss Bot, but we have an incoming Priority One message from Cybertron," Bumblebee said.

Optimussighed. "Can Ratchet take it?" "Nope. Sorry, but it's for your optics only," Bumblebee answered.

Optimus Prime rolled out of his berth, stumbling towards ops. The young Prime sighed. What could it be this time, he thought as he walked over to the computer, punching in his access code.

He was greeted by the sight of a grinning Jazz.

"Sorry to wake you Optimus, but we kinda forgot to let you know what's going on. . ."

Optimus frowned.

"Is everything all right?"

"You're getting reinforcements. They should be there. . .Sometime. . .uh. . .what day is it there?

"Wednesday."

"Oops," Jazz said, grin slipping. "They should be there sometime today then. . .sorry."

Optimus cocked an optic ridge.

"Jazz, what is going on there?"

The Elite Guard second-in-command's grin appeared again. "Everything's fine. Mostly," he said. "Can I call you back?"

Optimus counted more than 15 Earth minutes passing by, staring at the blank screen, arms crossed in annoyance. Finally, the screen lit up again with the image of Jazz.

"Sorry about that," Jazz said. "Had to get Ultra Magnus back to his quarters. It's been an interesting few days, with discipline slipping and all. . ."

"Is he all right?" Optimus asked.

"Just fine," Jazz said. "Still a little tipsy, but that's nothing compared to the other night. Look, it'll all be explained when the new crew gets there. I gotta go. I've already said too much."

-----

Optimus would've chalked up his late night conversation with Jazz as a hallucination, except the shuttle parked across the street from their home proved it was not. And who disembarked was an even bigger surprise.

"You can shut your mouth now," Ratchet said.

"What?" Optimus said, surprised the ancient medic could sneak up on him so easily.

"Yeah, Boss Bot," Bumblebee said. "Don't wanna look stupid in front of the Chosen One."

Optimus tried to look dignified, but it was hard, considering Bumblebee was standing beside him, trying to elbow his leader. Ratchet scowled, and Bulkhead was watching the whole spectacle with interest. Prowl was nowhere to be found.

And now he found himself standing optic to optic with Rodimus Prime, the bot allegedly on his way to one day replacing Ultra Magnus.

"To what do we owe the honor?" Optimus said, offering a hand.

Rodimus clasped the the other Prime's hand, offering him a wry grin.

"The honor is all mine," Rodimus said. "You have no idea what a relief it is to get away from Cybertron. . ."

-----

Optimus showed the other Prime around their new home after introducing the crews. Rodimus' team included Ironhide, the medic Red Alert, Hot Shot and Brawn. His own team promptly gave themselves the day off, without his permission, to show the other group the wonders of Earth. Although what that entailed, Optimus wasn't sure he wanted to know, especially because it was Bumblebee's suggestion.

"So. . ." Optimus said, once they found themselves back in the rec room.

"So what brings us here?"

"Yes," Optimus said. "This planet isn't exactly a top of the line assignment."

"This planet is my penance," Rodimus said. "And because of my. . .temporary lack of good judgment on my part, my team was sent along, too."

"You're here as punishment?" Optimus asked.

"Yes."

"What did you do?" Optimus said, curious.

"Rendered Sentinel Prime speechless for the foreseeable future," Rodimus answered. "Look, I'd love to discuss this more, but it's getting late, and I have a crew to settle. I better get back to the ship."

"Sure," Optimus said. "See you tomorrow."

-----

The next few days flew by with a frenzy. The crews meshed better than Optimus could have imagined, and he still wondered what exactly landed the other Prime on Earth.

He got his chance when he found himself on a break from patrol with Ironhide.

The red bot caught Optimus staring.

"If you're gonna ask, ask," Ironhide said.

"How do you know what I'm going to say?" Optimus said.

Ironhide sighed.

"Because we've been here five days and nobody's actually asked, so I might as well tell you. I wasn't there, but I heard all about it," he said.

"What happened then?" Optimus said.

Ironhide shrugged. "Don't know what was Sentinel said to set Rodimus off, but you know that really big chin Sentinel has?"

Optimus nodded.

"Well, Rodimus busted him right in the chops. Broke his jaw. Right in front of Ultra Magnus," Ironhide said. "And here we are."

-----


	2. Chapter 2

Exile

Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Optimus watched as Bulkhead tried to explain the finer points of Earth art to Hot Shot and Ironhide, smiled when Bumblebee decided to take matters into his own hands. The yellow bot grabbed a can of pain, throwing its contents at Ironhide. The red bot let paint drip off him for only a moment before grabbing his own and reciprocating. Within minutes, members of both crews, including Ratchet, were throwing paint on one another, not caring there would be a mess to clean up.

Optimus even joined in when Ratchet grabbed him by the wrist, thrust a paint can into his hand and shoved him toward Bumblebee, who was already covered in a myriad of shades. Bumblebee grinned, seeing his leader joining in.

But while he and the others were enjoying themselves, he caught Rodimus watching them, but he left the room when he felt the optics of the other Prime upon him.

-----

Optimus found Rodimus outside, on the roof.

"You could have joined in, you know," Optimus said.

"I didn't much feel like it," Rodimus answered.

"Ironhide told me what you did to end up here," Optimus said. "What exactly did Sentinel say?"

"Nothing that needs repeating. Sentinel, as these humans say, is a jackass," Rodimus said.

Optimus smiled. "The humans have many other words that describe Sentinel with frightening accuracy," he said.

"And your Bumblebee seems rather fond of them," Rodimus said. "He's been teaching them to Hot Shot and Ironhide."

"Want me to talk to him about it?" Optimus asked.

"No," Rodimus said.

"Speaking of talking, when you got here, you said you rendered Sentinel 'speechless.' What did you mean? Ironhide said his jaw was broke, but. . ." Optimus said.

Rodimus grinned. "Sentinel can't talk, and Ultra Magnus has limited his communication by comm to sentences of 10 words or less," he said.

"Bet he loves that," Optimus said.

"I heard he's livid," Rodimus said.

"It's probably forcing him to use his processor in ways he's never imagined," Optimus said. "His vocabulary has always been rather limited. . ."

"You two have a history, I know that much," Rodimus said.

"And not a pleasant one," Optimus said.

"Look, there's another reason why I'm not on Cybertron anymore," Rodimus said. "Things there are changing, and not for the better."

"What do you mean?"

"We can finish this discussion later," Rodimus said.

Optimus watched him go, wondering what was going wrong on their home planet.


	3. Chapter 3

Exile

Part 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Sari stayed out of the way. She had her reasons. But at the same time, she was watching everything going on, and some of it was interesting, some not. She spent a lot of her time with Ratchet, or Bulkhead because Bumblebee was trying to immerse his new companions in Earth culture. But one thing in particular caught her interest, and she decided it would be fun to bring it up when Optimus least expected it.

She waited until he was distracted. It was movie night, and they were watching "Revenge of the Mummy," one of her favorite horror flicks, but she wasn't paying attention, really.

Perched as she was on the Prime's shoulder, she leaned over, whispering in his audio.

"Why is the red new guy always making googly eyes at Ratchet?" she said.

Optimus' optics widened.

"What?"

An angry Hot Shot, Brawn and Bumblebee all turned around, going "ssshhh" in unison.

"Look," Sari whispered, pointing.

Ratchet was leaned against the door, bored, while Ironhide was not watching the movie.

"Sari, we'll talk about this later," Optimus said.

"You're no fun," she whispered back. "Put me down."

Optimus did as she asked, setting her down. He stood himself, deciding to have a little talk with his medic.

-----

"Yes, he's had his aft in here almost every day for different reasons," Ratchet said. "And I don't need that kind of interest from a. . .a sparkling."

"When was the last time anyone had that kind of interest at all?" Optimus asked, trying not to smile.

"And what would YOU know about that kind of interest, sparkling?" Ratchet said.

Optimus noticed the tool in Ratchet's hand, decided it would be a good idea to leave.

-----

Sari went up to the roof, wanting piece and quiet for a change. But it looked like she wasn't going to get it. The other Prime, one of the new guys, Rodimus, was already on the roof. He turned when he heard her approach.

"Hello, Sari," he said.

She hmphed.

"Don't want to talk?" Rodimus asked.

"Not really," Sari said. "I came up here because I wanted to be alone."

"I can leave," Rodimus said.

"No. You're already here," she said. "It's just that this place is crowded all of a sudden."

"And you miss having your friends to yourself," Rodimus said.

"Yeah," Sari said. "But it's been fun, kind of, so far. Hot Shot's nice, and having Red Alert around's made Ratchet happy, and Optimus is glad you guys are here, too. But Brawn's kinda grumpy."

"He's always been like that," Rodimus said.

"He's grumpier than Ratchet," Sari said.

Rodimus laughed. "I hadn't thought of that, but yes, he is."

"So, you know any good stories? Hot Shot keeps talking about all the stuff you guys have seen out there, but every time Bumblebee asks, he stops talking," Sari said.

"I know a few. Do you like pirates?" Rodimus said.

"C'mon. . ." Sari said.

"My best friend is a pirate," he said, waiting.

"Seriously?"

"He has his own ship and his crew is called the Wreckers," Rodimus said.

"What's his name?"

"Springer."

"Not very piratey," Sari said.

"No."

"Has he found treasure or anything like that?"

"A few times, but he mainly. . ." Rodimus stopped, seeing Optimus standing a few feet away, arms crossed, one optic ridge raised.

"Sari, I need to talk to Rodimus. Alone," Optimus said.

He watched her go down the stairs, then turned his attention back to the other Prime.

"Pirates? Is that really appropriate for a human child?" Optimus asked.

"You need to loosen up," Rodimus said. "I was only going to tell her a story. Besides, she asked. And I think pirates are nothing compared to what she's seen."

Optimus sighed. "Pirates? Really?"

"Yes."

"That's not a story then?"

"Last time I checked, no," Rodimus said.

"And is he really a triple changer?"

"Yes."

"Look, out on the rim, you hear a lot of things. . ." Optimus said.

"I know," Rodimus said. "But separating fact from fiction is not the role of a Prime. We believe what we're told, right?"

"I have not heard that line in a long time. You knew Kup? Whatever happened to him?"

"Last I heard, he was hiding out in one of the colonies," Rodimus said.

"May I ask why?"

"Getting off Cybertron is a good idea when there's a bounty on your head," Rodimus said. He watched Optimus' jaw drop, but he recovered quickly.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I wasn't able to find out because we were out on space bridge duty when it happened," Rodimus said. "And considering what I did to Sentinel, I didn't exactly get a chance to ask Ultra Magnus about it."

"I could make some enquiries," Optimus said.

"Good luck," Rodimus said. "You won't get very far. Although you might if Sentinel's involved. I found out his weakness. Sentinel's afraid of petrorabbits. Especially baby petrorabbits."

Optimus smiled. "He's always been afraid of them. How did you find out about it?"

"Somebody put a nest of them in his desk. Jazz had to remove them," Rodimus said.

"Did he scream?"

"Like a sparkling," Rodimus said.

"I'm sure it will take more than an army of baby petrorabbits to get a question by Sentinel," Optimus said. "But I can try. I almost forgot--what did you mean, the other night, when you said things on Cybertron are changing?"

"I've found out some things. . .and they're not good. Reports and rumors of Decepticon activity quickly disappear. It's like they don't want anyone to know," Rodimus said.

"They don't," Optimus said. "Ultra Magnus has asked me more than once to keep quiet."

"Why don't you sound the alarm? Go public? You've seen Megatron, right? The war has moved to this planet. They'd have to believe. . ."

"There would be panic on Cybertron and do you even think the High Council would care about the opinions of a planet of organics?" Optimus said. "And why should it concern you anyway? I've heard. . .you're the 'Chosen One,' on your way to being Magnus one day."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Rodimus said. "Don't, as these humans say, judge a book by its cover."

He turned, walking away, heading to his ship. Later, Rodimus lay in his berth, unable to rest.

Crashing five bridge gates to get home, to warn Cybertron with a badly damaged ship and a mostly injured crew. Then being confronted with Sentinel Prime's insolence and arrogance while trying to inform Ultra Magnus of what they found was too much.

And then finding Longarm Prime quietly buried the report, without telling Magnus. That was the kicker. If that was how things were going to go, he'd rather not be on Cybertron when it all came down.


	4. Chapter 4

Exile

Part 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

The morning assignments made, and between Bumblebee chasing Hot Shot around the base and the way Prowl and Bulkhead closed ranks when asked about the pink paint covering Brawn, Optimus almost forgot to talk with Rodimus about Ironhide and his. . .interest in Ratchet.

He dragged the other Prime outside long enough to get his point across.

"Ironhide's driving Ratchet nuts and if you don't do anything about it, I'm afraid Ratchet will take matters into his own hands," Optimus said.

"Just how is Ironhide driving your medic 'nuts?'" Rodimus asked. He had a pretty good idea, but he wanted to hear his counterpart's take on the matter.

"Interest, as in possible infatuation," Optimus said, frowning.

"And this is a problem because?" Rodimus said.

"This is Ratchet we're talking about. Ancient, battle-weary psychotic when pushed Ratchet," Optimus said.

"All right," Rodimus said. "I'll see what I can do."

Optimus nodded, transformed, headed out for patrol with Brawn, who was still painted pink. Rodimus grinned. He was going to do something all right, just not exactly what the other Prime wanted.

--

"Chosen one my aft. . ." Ratchet muttered. "Can't even control a sparkling under his command. . .he's a sparkling himself. . ."

Said 'chosen one' was standing just inside the med bay door, arms crossed, optic ridge cocked.

"Is there a problem?" Rodimus asked. "I can come back by later. . ."

"No," Ratchet said. "What do you want?"

"Optimus said you've been having issues with Ironhide, so I thought I'd come see what I can do to help," Rodimus said.

"Throw him in your brig and toss away the key," Ratchet said.

"He's harmless," Rodimus said. "Mostly."

"What he is is an annoying pain in my aft," Ratchet said. "Keep him out of my med bay or I will give him a legitimate reason to be here."

"I'll be sure to pass that along," Rodimus said, grinning.

"Why you insolent little. . ." Ratchet said, throwing a wrench.

Rodimus caught the wrench, tossed it back.

"This sparkling bites back," he said, leaving.

-----

"So what do you think of the new guys?" Bulkhead asked Bumblebee.

Bumblebee ignored the question, engrossed in his video game. Bulkhead reached down, plucking the game controller from the yellow bot's hands.

"Hey, give that back," Bumblebee protested.

"Answer the question," Bulkhead said.

"They're OK," Bumblebee said. "Brawn's grouchy, but the rest are fun, you know that. And the way that Ironhide's bugging Ratchet is priceless."

Bulkhead gave back the controller.

"What about Rodimus?" he asked.

"He's the 'chosen one.' What else is there to know?" Bumblebee said.

-----

Ironhide ambled down the corridor to the med bay. It had been a long day out on patrol, and Prowl was the silent type, and he was about to go crazy without any decent conversation. Not that he'd get it where he was going, but at least it was something that would prove amusing, possibly earning him bodily harm at the same time. Oh well, he though, turning inside the med bay.

Ratchet didn't look up, hearing the now-familiar footsteps, choosing instead to ignore the young red bot. Except the question he asked made him impossible to ignore.

"So, who's older, you or Ultra Magnus?" Ironhide asked.

"Get out!" Ratchet bellowed, hurling a wrench at Ironhide's head. The wrench connected with a resounding clank.

Ironhide fell over, unconscious.

-----

Optimus listened as Ratchet paced. He sighed, because it looked like the medic was just getting warmed up. And so much for a quiet evening to himself.

"He's supposed to be the chosen one," Ratchet said. "Perfect. On the fast track to becoming Magnus. I'm surprised he doesn't have femmes throwing themselves at his feet. Keeps to himself and lets his crew run wild. . .And I thought you were supposed to talk to him?"

"Uh, well, I did," Optimus said, annoyed at being put on the spot. "Well, obviously you didn't try hard enough."

-----

Optimus found the other Prime watching monitors, by himself. Obviously, both their crews were out, running wild together, with the exception of Prowl, who was hanging out on the roof and Ratchet, who'd locked himself in the med bay with Sari.

"I thought you were going to bring Ironhide back in line," Optimus said, getting right to the point.

Rodimus stood. "He's not hurting anything," he said.

"He's annoying Ratchet," Optimus said.

"Seems to me everyone and everything annoys Ratchet," Rodimus said. "Ratchet deserves our respect," Optimus said.

"Whoa, back off," Rodimus said. "I didn't say he wasn't worthy of respect. "Ironhide's just interested, that's all. What's wrong with that?"

"Proper decorum and protocol need to be followed," Optimus said.

"That might be, but have you noticed, we're not on Cybertron," Rodimus said. "And the Elite Guard is light years away."

"That has nothing to do with this," Optimus said.

"It does. I heard you were different, not like the others. . ." Rodimus said

"What's that supposed to mean?" Optimus said.

"Figure it out for yourself," Rodimus said, walking away.


	5. Chapter 5

Exile

Part 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Bumblebee obeyed the local speed laws. Brawn cruised along in the same lane behind him. To say the yellow bot was annoyed was an understatement. He was lucky he wasn't in the brig after the stunt he'd pulled a few days before. "Humbled" also applied. He'd been ripped by both Primes, Red Alert, Ratchet and when they were through, Bulkhead took a turn. It wasn't his fault Hot Shot didn't know how to not take a dare, although Optimus had pointed out Bumblebee himself should have known better than to even suggest it. Then Rodimus jumped in. . .Bumblebee shuddered at the memory. Then he perked up. The loss of body parts hadn't been permanent, so, it was all good, wasn't it? But it would be a long time before he challenged anyone to a race during rush hour again. At night, when the roads were empty, no problem. He'd just have to wait until everyone else was in recharge or out on patrol.

Things had been quiet lately. No Decepticon activity to speak of, which was why he was trying to keep things on base lively. Not that he needed much help. Hot Shot was becoming his partner in crime and along with Sari, they had some big stuff planned. It would just be a while before they decided to pull any of it off. Maybe.

Ironhide's antics also helped keep things at home hopping. It was obvious to all he liked Ratchet. Really liked the cranky medic, although why, was anyone's guess. Whether or not Ratchet would get the message was also up in the air, although Bumblebee also had plans for that.

He started to drift into the other lane, so taken was he with his future plans.

:WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING:

:You don't have to yell: Bumblebee said as he pulled back in front of Brawn.

:I DO IF YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION. I don't know why we're stuck here on this backwater anyway when there are Decepticons out there we could be fighting:

:Wait long enough and they'll show up here. There's always Starscream and his clones, Megatron: Bumblebee said.

:There are more Decepticons out there, and some of them are a bigger threat than Megatron: Brawn said.

:A bigger threat than Megatron? You've got to be kidding: Bumblebee said, voice tinged with exasperation.

Brawn didn't say anything. Instead, he accelerated, passing Bumblebee.

-----

Bumblebee found Optimus in ops, on monitor duty.

"Hey Boss Bot, what are you doing here?" Bumblebee asked.

"Taking my turn at monitor duty because someone decided he had better things to do," Optimus said.

"Rodimus, eh?" Bumlebee said.

The look his leader shot him said it all.

"Yeah. . .well, I'll leave you to it then. . ." Bumblebee said, turning to go. But he stopped, remembering what Brawn had said about other Decepticons. "Uh, I have a question. . ."

Optimus spared the little yellow bot a glance. "What is is Bumblebee?" he said, trying to be patient.

"About the Decepticons. . .Megatron is the biggest threat, right? I mean, there isn't a bigger threat out there than him, is there?" Bumblebee said.

Optimus turned to level his gaze on the spy, curious as to where that particular question came from, but all he saw was Bumblebee's retreating form as he took off away from ops.

-----

Ratchet stared down at the prone body on his surgical berth. For the third time in as many days, Ironhide was offline due to tool-inflicted wound. Ratchet sighed, then brightened when he realized he was being presented with the perfect opportunity to operate without having to put a patient under. Maybe he could rebuild Ironhide into something more suitable, like a Smart Car? The medic smiled at that thought. . .the tough, no-nonsense Ironhide waking to find himself something cute. . .

His line of thinking sobered when he heard a familiar voice.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, it's obviously inappropriate, and if you'd like, I can come back later, although I think maybe you'd like to wait until he's awake?"

"Want to spend some time offline yourself?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus smiled. "No."

"Then quit being cheeky. You're all picking up bad habits from Mr. Perfect," Ratchet said.

"In all seriousness, I have a question to ask," Optimus said.

"What is it?"

"I was wondering. . .are there other Decepticons besides Megatron? Anyone or anything that could be a bigger threat?" Optimus asked.

"Not that I know of, and believe me, I've been alive long enough to know. You've heard the stories of the Chaos-Bringer, but those are just stories to scare sparklings," Ratchet said.

"You're sure?" Optimus asked.

"I could be wrong," Ratchet said. "But Megatron is the biggest threat we currently face. Go. Get out of here. I promise I won't do anything to Ironhide."

Optimus smiled. "Good night, Ratchet."

-----

Not knowing where the other Prime was, Optimus commed him.

:Rodimus, where are you?:

:Roof:

Optimus sighed. Of course. He climbed up, finding the other Prime staring out across the city.

"What do you want?" Rodimus asked.

"Is your crew deliberately trying to scare mine?" Optimus asked.

Rodimus turned around, facing him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bumblebee asked me tonight if there are bigger threats besides Megatron," Optimus said. "And I can't imagine where he'd get that idea. . ."

"Whoa, slow down. . ." Rodimus said. "He was out on patrol with Brawn tonight, and sometimes Brawn has a big mouth. I'll talk to him."

"Like you talked to Ironhide?" Optimus said, hands on hips.

"Ironhide is mostly harmless, at least as far as his interest in Ratchet is concerned. And I'd say that's between them," Rodimus said.

Optimus didn't have a retort.

"But if you want to know the answer, yes, there is a bigger threat out there than Megatron," Rodimus said. "I've seen it myself. It's part of the reason why we're here, rather than on Cybertron."

Optimus frowned. "What?"

"We were assigned to guard space bridges--at least your crew was trained to fix them. But we got our afts handed to us," Rodimus said. "When we got back to Cybertron, and Red and I were in good enough shape to finally give our report on what happened, Sentinel wouldn't let me talk to Ultra Magnus and my report quietly disappeared. And how can I forget the damage I caused to the space bridges we crashed on the way home? I was in enough trouble over that, then, well, you heard how I lost my temper. . .I'd rather be here than back home. At least here, we stand a chance. And we're with a team that has actually fought the Decepticons and won, more than once. . .there is a Decepticon out there. . .I don't know where he came from, but he's a much bigger threat than just Megatron, and not just to Cybertron--Earth, any other free worlds also. His name is Galvatron."


	6. Chapter 6

Exile

Part 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

On one hand, Rodimus didn't care if Optimus believed him, but on the other hand, it did matter. It mattered because he respected the other Prime, wanted him to trust him enough to reveal all he knew. But that would take time, and for all he knew, they didn't have time. The fact his team integrated so well with Optimus' had him hoping maybe he'd loosen up a little, let down his guard, but it looked like Optimus Prime wasn't exactly the trusting kind.

Galvatron. The stuff of nightmares. The Decepticon was the cause of his own nightmares, which plagued him almost nightly since the day they'd met. Rodimus shuddered. He could still feel the touch of the Decepticon's hands on his frame--one hand around his throat, pinning him to the ground, the other hand ripping through his chest for his spark. Those details Rodimus recalled quite intimately, and not even intensive therapy would make them go away. The medics on Cybertron had been so worried about how disturbed he was by the experience they almost pulled him from duty, but he'd gotten around it by learning to act like everything was all right even when it wasn't.

His team had helped each other through the experience, had agreed to not talk about it unless absolutely necessary. That he'd even mentioned Galvatron's name to Optimus was a huge step for himself, or foolishness. He couldn't decide which.

-----

Ratchet smiled down at Sari's sleeping form as he passed by the surgical berth where the girl was sleeping. She should have been asleep in her own room, but the medic decided to give in to the child's whim and let her stay with him for the night. He was working, but having her around brought out his paternal side, more than usual. Sometimes he felt like he was the only mature Cybertronian among a group of sparklings.

"Since when are you letting Sari stay here?"

Ratchet turned around to see Optimus standing just inside the med bay door.

"She's here because she asked nicely," Ratchet said. "Be quiet or you'll wake her. Speaking of sleeping, why aren't you in your quarters resting?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you," Optimus said.

Ratchet frowned.

"It better not be about that armor-hided hick," he said. "He keeps accosting me, I'm going to put him and that leader of his in *their* med bay and let Red Alert deal with them."

Optimus stifled a grin.

"No, it's not about Ironhide this time, although it does involve Rodimus, something he said, actually," Optimus said.

"What now?" Ratchet asked.

"Ratchet, remember earlier when I asked you if there were any threats bigger than Megatron? Rodimus said there was another Decepticon, named Galvatron, who is a bigger threat than Megatron," Optimus said. "Have you ever heard that name?"

"Can't say I have," Ratchet said. "But that doesn't mean anything. I'm not as old as Kup or Alpha Trion. Maybe one of them might know something."

"And how are we supposed to contact either? Kup is hiding out in the colonies and as head of the civilian guilds, any communication we send to Alpha Trion has to go through High Command first. That means the Elite Guard and Sentinel," Optimus said.

"Sparkling, you have a lot to learn. I'm old friends with Alpha Trion. Don't fret. If it'll make you feel better, I'll see what I can do," Ratchet said.

Optimus nodded at the medic, headed for his quarters. Hopefully the wily old medic could find out something.


	7. Chapter 7

Exile

Part 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Ratchet considered carefully what he was about to do. He wasn't exactly going behind Optimus' back. No, he was using the resources at hand to accomplish a task. The medic steeled himself, walking out of the med bay, outside, across the street to where the other Autobot team's ship was parked. The ramp was down, so Ratchet took that as an invitation to go aboard. He walked on up, heading for the command center, hoping he'd find the bot he was looking for.

Ratchet wasn't disappointed to find Ironhide on duty.

"Sparkling, got a few minutes?" he asked.

Ironhide couldn't stammer out an answer, so he nodded, so surprised to see Ratchet on _his_ ship.

"Can you send a message to Cybertron for me? I need to send a communication to Alpha Trion, and because our ship is still at the bottom of the lake. . ."

"Sure, no problem," Ironhide said. "Anything for. . ."

He stopped, seeing the mech now standing behind Ratchet. The medic turned around to see Rodimus Prime, arms crossed, optic ridge raised.

"I was just going. . ." Ratchet said.

"No, you're not," Rodimus said. "Who do you need to send a message to?"

"None of your business," Ratchet said, shouldering past the younger mech. However, Rodimus reached out, grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

"If you're trying to bypass High Command, that's not a problem," Rodimus said. "Why else would you be standing here?"

Ratchet frowned. "How do you know I'm not going behind Optimus' back?"

"I don't know that," Rodimus said. "But he trusts you, and that's enough for me. So, what can I do for you?"

"I need to get a message to Alpha Trion, and Kup, although I'm not sure what his last posting was, and Optimus said he was hiding out in the colonies, so he might be difficult to contact," Ratchet said.

"Maybe not," Rodimus said, throwing Ratchet a grin. "I have a few contacts that might be able to get a message through."

"They better not be connected to the Elite Guard or High Command," Ratchet said.

"Hardly," Rodimus said.

-----

Sari sat beside Prowl beneath a tree in the park, watching other kids her age run and play. She knew she could join them if she wanted, had for a while before finding a couple of more interesting matters catching her attention. Prowl was meditating, so he probably hadn't noticed, but then again, nothing escaped him.

The first was Ratchet bickering with Ironhide. She couldn't hear what they were saying anymore, because they'd moved away, but it had started out Ratchet telling Ironhide to leave him alone, but now it looked like the two were actually _talking_. That was interesting. So was the amount of time Rodimus Prime was spending watching Optimus Prime, who was trying his best to ignore the other Autobot. But that wasn't going anywhere, so Sari turned her attention back to Prowl, who was now looking at her.

"You noticed too?" Prowl asked.

"Noticed what?" Sari asked.

"Those two," Prowl said, nodding in the direction of the two Primes, one who was still watching the other members of the two combined teams trying to play basketball, while the other had given up all pretense.

"Yeah," Sari said.

"What do you think of Rodimus?" Prowl asked, interested in the girl's opinion.

"He's nice, but I don't think he's telling everything he knows," Sari said. "Why?"

"I was only wondering," Prowl said, weighing the girl's impression with his own. Sari was right, only what was Rodimus Prime hiding?

-----


	8. Chapter 8

Exile

Part 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Three days of waiting, and still no word. Ratchet tried not thinking about the reply he was waiting on, but he didn't have much else to occupy his time. Sari was on a camping trip with Bumblebee and Prowl, so she wasn't around to take care of or converse with. Optimus was spending most of his time in ops and Bulkhead, who knew. That left the medic to his own devices until the afternoon Ironhide came running into the med bay, tripping over himself in his eagerness to deliver a message.

He handed over the data pad, then waited quietly as the medic read whatever it contained. Ratchet frowned. Nothing from Kup but the message from Alpha Trion was distressing.

_"Ratchet, my old friend, it is good to hear from you. At present, I am unable to answer your question, however, given sufficient time, I believe I may be able to find something in the archives. _

_ As to Kup's current whereabouts, I have sent out inquiries through unofficial channels, which may take time. He may have more information, but with the price on his head, it will be very difficult to ascertain his location. _

_ And to alleviate your concerns regarding Rodimus Prime, I assure you he can be trusted. If you need to contact me again, you may do so through Rodimus."_

"Not what you were wanting to know?" Ironhide asked.

"None of your business," Ratchet snapped. He regretted it when he saw Ironhide's hurt expression.

"No," he said. "But thank you for bringing it to me. I appreciate that, and helping me get the message through in the first place."

"Do you need to send a reply back?" Ironhide asked.

"Not right now," Ratchet said.

"Well, uh, if you're not doing anything, and I'm off for a couple of hours, so, I was wondering. . .want to take a drive?" Ironhide asked.

Ratchet set down the data pad. Was the hick really asking him out? He considered the request. It couldn't hurt, and would give him an opportunity to find out more about Ironhide, and the rest of Rodimus' team. Yes, he would use the outing as a chance to interrogate Ironhide.

"Sure," Ratchet said, smiling at the look on Ironhide's face.

88888

Optimus Prime was bored stiff. He was ignoring Rodimus Prime, who was sitting nearby, reading a data pad. He'd joined Optimus a couple of hours before, offering to keep him company, but he didn't want company. He wanted to be left alone. At least that's what he told himself. Too many questions running around in his head, along with his doubts about how much he could trust the other Prime. Rodimus was not Sentinel, he reminded himself. He'd read Rodimus' file, and heard the story of how he could have had any posting he asked for, including the highest levels of the Elite Guard, right out of the Academy. Instead, Rodimus chose an assignment not unlike the one that served as Optimus' own punishment. Rodimus and his team guarded space bridges and the teams building them. Optimus' own team was a maintenance crew, too unimportant for protection. But he'd faced down Megatron himself, and his team had proven themselves in combat while the Elite Guard and the High Council refused to take the Decepticon threat seriously. Well, Ultra Magnus did think Megatron was a threat, but he wanted the Decepticon resurgence kept quiet.

Optimus had been betrayed once by the Elite Guard, and he wasn't going to let it happen again. He'd die first. And here, only a short distance away, a mech claiming things on Cybertron were changing, and not for the better. How was he not supposed to be confused? Even worse, he was conflicted—who to believe, who to trust, his own feelings. So far, Rodimus Prime was proving to be nothing like the rumors, if you believed them. Not that Optimus had, but he knew the mech had experienced something that changed him. Cocky, Primus' gift to femmes Rodimus Prime? So far, no evidence of it. If anything, Rodimus was a refreshing change from say, Sentinel. He was easy on the optics, too. Optimus frowned, no, he was not going there. Ever. Again. Mixing duty and pleasure never worked. He'd already had that blow up in his face once. No, he was bonded to his duties. He had his team, who was more like family, and that was enough. It had to be.

"Whatever you're thinking, tone it down. I can feel your energy field from across the room."

Rodimus.

"You're still here?" Optimus asked.

"Obviously," Rodimus said.

"Don't you have someone else to bother?" Optimus said.

"Like I told you before, I thought you could use some company," Rodimus said.

Before Optimus could reply, alarms started going off. Fingers flew over the keys, and he frowned.

"What is it?" Rodimus asked.

"Three contacts, coming in fast over the lake," Optimus said. "One bearing an Allspark signature."

He stood, started to walk out, but looked back at Rodimus, who was still sitting.

"Are you coming or not?"


	9. Chapter 9

Exile

Part 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

Megatron himself, and a Seeker. Rodimus couldn't move, watching as the Decepticon leader transformed, firing at the Autobots. Only Optimus' quick thinking saved him, as the other Prime tackled him, dragging him behind cover.

"You'd think you've never seen a Decepticon before," Optimus snapped, onlining his weapons.

"Only one before now, in person, and I wasn't awake long enough to enjoy the experience," Rodimus retorted. "That was Megatron."

"I know," Optimus said, firing back at the Seeker as it passed overhead.

"What does Megatron want?" Rodimus asked.

"Why don't you go ask him?"

"I think I will," Rodimus said, taking off, leaving Optimus alone behind the overturned truck they were using as cover. The Prime cursed as he followed the other Autobot, but Rodimus came running back when the Seeker strafed them.

"Got any other ideas?" Optimus muttered.

"Yeah, I do," Rodimus said, grinning. "Hey, ugly," he yelled.

Optimus rolled his optics. "Shut up."

"OK, genius. Was that Allspark signature with Megatron, or was it being chased by the Decepticons?" Rodimus asked.

"That's what we need to find out," Optimus said.

And that questions was quickly answered when a shadow passed over, heading straight for the Decepticon leader. Megatron was knocked back by a jet not a Seeker. The sleek white and red jet transformed, firing at Megatron, who shot back, but the jet transformed again, flying away.

"I think that would be our Allspark signature," Optimus said. "I've never seen that bot before."

"We need to give chase," Rodimus said.

"We need to drive Megatron off first," Optimus snapped, watching as Rodimus climbed up on the overturned truck they were using as cover, getting out his bow, firing several shots at Megatron. Instead of shooting back at him, the Decepticon fired at Optimus instead, hitting the Autobot dead center in the chest. Rodimus watched as the Decepticon leader transformed, taking off in the direction of the mystery jet. He screamed, firing an arrow at Megatron, but he missed. Rodimus then threw down his bow, running to Optimus' side.

The armor over the other Prime's spark was cracked and burning, and he could see the light of his spark dimming and feel its fading. Rodimus knew he had to act quickly, parting his own chest armor, exposing a port and unspooling cables for a hardline connection. Running his hands over Optimus's side, he pressed down on a seam in the other mech's armor, reaching inside, pulling out cables and attaching them to his ports, and connecting himself with Optimus.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt," Rodimus said.

Optimus' optics opened just a slit. "Don't care. . ."

Rodimus willed open his spark chamber, forcing down the barriers between himself and Optimus, until there was nothing between their minds.

:I need you with me. Concentrate. Don't think about the pain. Stay here with me:

:Hurts:

:I know, but if we don't hurry, you'll die:

:Died once already:

:And are you so eager to repeat the experience?:

The last barrier came down, and he suddenly found himself crashing into another mind, falling, then he snapped back as their sparks became one, the bond made.

Rodimus slowly came back to himself, realizing he still wasn't done. He closed Optimus' armor, disconnected the cables and closed his own armor. He could still feel the other's spark, weak, but still there, stable now. And it was pulsing in unison with his own. Getting to his feet, retrieved his bow, coming Ratchet. The old mech would know what to do now.


	10. Chapter 10

Exile

Part 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.

They managed getting Optimus back to base, and though Ratchet tried throwing Rodimus out of the med bay, the Prime wouldn't budge. The medic shoved him out of the way, comming Red Alert to come help him with repairs. It was simple enough, cutting away the damaged chest panel, replacing it with a new one, and checking for further damage. Ratchet didn't see any, but when it came to assessing the integrity of Optimus' spark, the medic frowned when he went over his preliminary scan, comparing it to the one from Optimus' last checkup. He scanned him again, realizing the spark resonance had changed. Glaring at Rodimus, the medic grabbed Red Alert by the arm, guiding the femme to the door.

"I need to speak to your fearless leader. Alone," Ratchet said.

She glanced at Rodimus, who nodded in affirmation. Ratchet gave her a gentle shove into the corridor, shutting the doors behind her, then rounding on Rodimus.

"I'm going to give you one chance to explain," he said.

"His spark was fading, and I didn't know what else to do," Rodimus said.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Ratchet said. "You've created a bond."

"Did you want him to die?"

"No."

"If anyone finds out what you've done. . ." Ratchet trailed off, hoping the Prime understood the gravity of the situation.  
"No one will," Rodimus snapped. He tried changing the subject. "We still have to find that bot before Megatron does."

"You don't seem to understand just how serious this situation is," Ratchet said.

"So, I created a bond," Rodimus said. "Isn't it temporary? It'll fade, or can't you break it?"

"You've created a permanent bond between your sparks," Ratchet said. "As in pair-bonded, which is forbidden. You're in the Elite Guard. Don't you know your history?"

"Bonds were only outlawed because the High Council saw no need for such a primitive practice when we could reproduce with the Allspark," Rodimus said.

"You believe in the old ways?" Ratchet asked.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be standing here right now," Rodimus said. "It's why I'm here, on this planet, and not Cybertron."

"Know this youngling—if you're lying to me, or you hurt Optimus, you'll answer to me," Ratchet said. "I know your reasons weren't completely altruistic, were they?"

"I'm not that selfish," Rodimus said. "But I couldn't watch Optimus die."

"By the Allspark, what a mess you've made," Ratchet said. "Go tell the others he'll be fine, and he should be up and around in a day or two. His wounds weren't as serious as they looked. If they don't believe you, send them to me."

Rodimus left the med bay, and Ratchet watched him go. He sat down, burying his face in his hands. Primus. Stupid, glitching youngsters. No, he didn't want Optimus to die, and he didn't want to have to be the one to explain what saved his life. If Rodimus had gotten him back to base quickly, he could have done something, anything. . .or not. His med bay was decent, and Red Alert's was completely up to date, but they were equipped to deal with all but the severest of emergencies.

Like Red Alert was a good medic, but she wasn't used to improvising like he was. Hot Shot and Ironhide had volunteered several stories of medical emergencies on the rim and how the Elite Guard dealt with them, such as Hot Shot's example of how his leg was crushed when he didn't get out of the way fast enough while trying to assist the bridge repair team they were guarding. A pylon fell, crushing his right leg below the knee. Red Alert cut it off, and they had to wait weeks for a replacement. That was not medicine, Ratchet reflected. It was butchery. He was not going to let that kind of thing happen to one of his younglings, and he'd die before he let the Elite Guard find out about what happened to Optimus.

Then there was the matter of Rodimus himself. Alpha Trion trusted Rodimus, the Prime had connections having nothing to do with the Elite Guard, and he'd gotten himself and his team assigned to Earth. The worst assignment in the universe for someone who was supposedly on the fast-track to Magnus. Or just Sentinel Prime's way of getting rid of somebody gunning for the position he coveted.


End file.
